Washing apparatus



F.' A. WALKER 2,314,673 WASHING APPARATUS I Original Filed Aug. 2'7, 1957 3 Sheets-Sht 1 March 23, 1943.

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Patented Mar. 23. 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE wasnmo arraaa'rus ,Orlginal application August 21,1937, Serial No.

Divided and thisapplication March 13, 1941, Serial No. 383,076

5 Claims. (Cl. 220-32) Thisinvention relates to washing apparatus. more particularly to dishwashing apparatus, and it has for its object the provision of improved apparatus of this character.

This invention is particularly applicable to dishwashing apparatus provided with a vat which has a front opening therein through which dishes and the like are loaded into the vat for invention has been shown in one form as applied to a front opening dishwasher having a cabinet Ill of rectangular form. As shown, this cabinet has side walls II and I2, and a top wall washing, and removed from the vat after they have been cleaned; and it is especially useful in apparatus of this character which is provided with a door for the front opening that is arranged to swing on its lower axis between a substantially vertical closed position and a substantially horizontal open position. And it contemplates the provision of improved means for sealing the door at its lower edge when it is the door. The vat is provided with a lip under this section which extends inwardly and ,downwardly substantially through the full width of the opening. In one form of this invention, the bottom section of the door carries a flexible sealing guard which yieldingly engages the lip on the vat when the door is closed so as to close and seal the space between the lip and the door bottom. In another form of this invention, this space is closed and sealed by a flexible sealing strip secured to the lip on the vat sojas to extend inwardly to yielding engage the bottom section' of the door when the door is closed. I

This application is a division of my copending application, "Serial No. 161,257, filed August 27, 1937, now Patent No. 2,257,436, dated September 30, 1941, and is assigned to the same 'assignee as that application.

Fora more complete understanding ofthis invention, reference'should be had to the'accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical front elevation of dishwashing apparatus embodying this invention, parts being broken away so as to illustrate certain details of construction; Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional 13. At the front, upper and. lower panels 14 and Ila are provided. At the bottom, the cabinet is supported upon a suitable base 15..

Mounted within the cabinet is a vat l6.which also is substantially rectangular having side walls l1 and I8, a rear wall IS, a top wall and albottom wall 2|. The side walls I! and I8 of the vat are positioned relatively close to the corresponding side walls of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 3, while the remaining walls of the vat are spaced a considerable distance from the corresponding walls of the cabinet.

application.

-Mounted within the vat is a suitable water distributing impeller 22 which is driven by means of a suitable electric motor 23 positioned below the bottom wall 2| of the vat. As fully pointed out in my above-mentioned copending application, the vat is provided with a suitable openwork dish and utensil supporting tray (not shown) for receiving the dishes and utensils to be cleansed by the action of the cleansing liquid circulated in the vat by the impeller.

The vat i6 is open at the front, and the outer I edges of its two side walls and of the top wall surrounding the front opening are flanged outwardly and thence turned backwardly upon themselves, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These outwardly extending flanges define a marginal face 24 at the sides and top of the opening. The

. cabinet I 0 at the front is provided with an view taken through the washing apparatus of.

Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view takenthrough the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 3

being drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2;

and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of this invention, portionsbeing shown in section so as to'illustrate'certain details of construction. g

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1-3, this opening 25 between the upper and lower panels l4 and Ma and opposite the front openingin the vat. This opening 25 is closed by means "The door is provided with hinge arms 21 which are pivotally mounted on hinge brackets 28.

As shown, when the door is closed the top and side marginal edges of the door substantially abut the marginal. flange 24. The door is provided with a suitable handle 29.

Preferably, the door will'be sealed. at the sides and top by the sealing means described and claimedin my above-mentioned copending application. Briefly, this means comprises an inwardly extending fiange'ill provided at the sides and top of the door, and which is received in suitable seats defined by flanges 3| provided on the side walls and across the topof the vat, as shownmore clearly in Figs, 2 and 3.

The vat is supported in the cabinet in any suitable way; as described in my above-mentioned copending The door is sealed at the bottom. in accord- .ance with this invention, by means of a lip-l2 formed on the bottom wall II of the vat projecting into it and extending across the lower edge of the front opening thereof from one side to the other of the vat. This lip is inclined downwardly somewhat, as more clearly The door at the bottom is shown in Fig. 2. provided with a lip 33 extending crosswise of the door from side to side, and curved inwardly and downwardly of the vat at an angleto the -ible sealing member 34 which is formed of a.

hairpin-shaped spring that has one 'leg rigidly secured to the under side of the door section 33 and its other leg arranged yieldingly to engage the top surface of the lip '32when the door is closed. This closes the space between the bottom of the door and the lower edge of the front opening of the vat, and efiectively seals the door at the bottom when the dooris closed. ,It will be observed that the spring member 34 in no way, interferes with the opening and closing movements of the door, since whenthe door is opened it merely moves outwardly away from the lip 32, and when the door is fully closed it yieldingly engages the upper surface of the li 32.

In Fig. 4, there is illustrated a modified form of this invention. As shown, in thisform there is located between the inturned lip 35 provided on the bottom wall of the vat and the inwardly extending'lip 36 provided on the door, a fiat ,fiexible rubber strip 31. This strip 31 is rigidly secured to the lip 35 and extends crosswise of the vat from side to side. As shown, this flexible strip is sandwiched between metallic strips 38, and the assembly of the strips 31 and 38 is secured to the lip 35 by means of screw fastening devices 39. The flexible strip 31 yieldingly engages the lip 36 when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to close the space between the lip and the door, and to seal the door at the bottom.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention; it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In dishwashing apparatus, a vat forming a washing chamber having a front opening therein, a door for closing said opening, hinge means mounting said door for swinging movement from a vertical closed position to a horizontal open position on a fixed axis adjacent the lower edge of said door, a lip on said vat substantially parallel to said axis projecting downwardly into said vat and extending across the lower edge of the front opening thereof from oneside to the other, and a lip on said doorsubstantially parallel to said axis extending crosswise of the door from side to side, said second named lip curving inwardly and downwardly into said vat above said first lip when said door is closed so that a por-' tion thereof lies close to but spaced from the inner end of said first lip, and said second lip 75 being relatively elongated so that it will overlie at least a part of said first lip substantially throughout the full movement of said door between its fully open and fully closed positions.

2. In dishwashing apparatus, a vat forming a washing chamber having a front opening therein, a door for closing said opening, hinge 'means mounting said door for swinging movement from a vertical closed position to a horil0 zontal open position on a fixed axis at the lower edge of said door, the vat having a lip extendin inwardly and downwardly and substantially through the full width of said opening and the door bottom extending inwardly and downwardly into' the vat over said lip in spaced relation with it, and a guard carried by said door yieldirmly engaging said lip when the door is closed to close and seal thevspace between said lip and door bottom."

3. In dishwashing apparatus, a vat forming a washing chamber having a front opening therein, 'a door'for closing said opening, hinge means mounting said door for swinging movement from a vertical closed position to a horizontal open position on a fixed axis at the lower edge of said door, the bottom of the door extending inwardly and downwardly into the vat so as to always cover the lower edge of said opening in spaced relation with it, irrespective of the position of the door, and a flexible sealing strip secured to said vat at the lower edge of said opening extending inwardly and yieldingly engaging said inwardly extending portion of th door when the door is closed.

4. In dishwashing apparatus, a vat forming a washing chamber having a front opening therein,

a door for closing said opening, hinge means mounting said door for swinging movement from a vertical closed position to a horizontal open 40 position on a fixed axis adjacent the lower edge of said door, a lip on said vat substantially parallel to said axis projecting downwardly into said vat and extending across the lower edge of the front opening thereof from one side to the other, a lip on said door substantially parallel to said axis extending crosswise of the door from A side to side, said second named 'lip curving inwardly and downwardly into said vat above sa d first lip when said door is closed so that a D tion thereof lies close to but spaced from the inner end of said first lip, and a flexible sealing member carried by one of said lips and yieldingly engaging the other when said door is closed to seal the space between said lips.

5. In dishwashing apparatus, a vat forming a washing chamber having a front' opening therein, a door forgclosing said opening, hinge means mounting said door for swinging movement from a vertical closed position to a hori- 60 zontalopen position on a fixed axis adjacent the lower edge of said door, a lip on said vat substantially parallel to said axis projectin downwardly into said vat and extending across the lower edge of the front opening thereof from one side to the other, a lip on said door substantially 'parallel to said axis extending crosswiseof the door from side to side, said second named lip curving inwardly and downwardly into said vat and spaced above said first lip when said door is closed, and a flexible sealing member carried by one-of said lips and yieldingly engaging the other when said door is closed so as to seal the space between said lips.

manner A. WALKER. 

